Known shoes use shoelaces that pass through or are threaded through eyelets. The shoelaces are then pulled through the eyelets, tightening the opening of the shoe over the tongue of the shoe with the free ends of the laces being tied. This allows flexible adjustment of the shoe along with securing the shoe to the wearer's foot. All of this is well known and accepted. Yet as is often the case, the shoelaces can become untied often at inopportune times. Also there is some dexterity required in tieing shoelaces which is oftentimes difficult for some people to accomplish, the free end of the shoelaces are often excessively long causing the tied ends to flop around, and in some cases the very time it takes to tie shoelaces is something that the wearers of the shoes would like to eliminate.
Accordingly there have been devices used in the past which essentially involve passing both of the free ends of the shoelaces through a hole in a spring biased retainer device that clamps the shoelaces together. This device tends to resist the shoelaces being pulled back through the hole or opening without physically actuating a release of the spring biased clamp. While these devices have some advantages, they also have the disadvantages of requiring that the shoelaces be joined and passed through the retaining hole, the device does not provide a means for holding the shoelace ends while the shoelace is being tightened through the eyelets, and the device normally has to fit on the shoelaces in a position as close as possible to the point where the shoelaces exit the last eyelet to provide any retained tightening of the shoelaces. These devices have to be specifically released by some type of mechanical actuation of the device. So the free ends of the shoelaces cannot be released by merely grasping and moving the shoelaces. Further, since these devices are so close to the eyelets, they leave the free end of the shoelaces with such a long length that the shoelaces oftentimes reach the ground and can be stepped on by the wearer's other shoe the same as if the shoelaces had become untied. In addition to all the other disadvantages, the moving parts of the mechanical device are subject to being in use, broke, it does not lend itself to be attached or secured to the shoe, and also its retention force is often insufficient in a reasonably priced device to retain the shoelaces against sliding through the retention device.
So the need for a new and improved device or system for releasably securing the free end of shoelaces has wide application both to invalids, small children, and particularly to users of athletic shoes. Runners oftentimes need to tie their shoes quickly and securely without having the free ends of the lacings dragging the ground where they can be stepped on, and which can be tightened sufficiently to secure the shoe to the user's foot and have laces that, while not tied, and can be quickly released by merely grasping and maneuvering the free ends of the shoelaces.
It is therefore an advantage to have a new and improved shoelace retaining system that allows quick and easy insertion of the shoelace along its length to be inserted in or quickly removed from the shoelace retention device, which device automatically grasps and holds the shoelace against lengthwise pulling and movement, which only restrains the shoelace in one direction allowing the shoelace to be pulled and tightened through use of the shoelace retaining means, and which may be positioned anywhere on the shoe; thus reducing the length of the free end of the shoelaces so that they don't flop around after the shoelaces have been tightened.
It is therefore an object of this invention to provide a new and improved shoelace retaining means for securing the free end of a shoelace at a point away from the eyelet or hooks, which allows quick and easy connect and disconnect of the shoelace, and which retains the shoelace from being shifted lengthwise or pulled lengthwise in one direction but not in the other direction.
It is another object of this invention to provide a new and improved shoelace retaining system for connecting one end of a single shoelace to an eyelet adjacent the toe of the shoe, which shoelace is cross threaded through the eyelets to provide a single free end to be pulled in tightening the shoelace in the shoe, and then to secure the single end of the shoelace by a quick and easy positive retaining means.
It is another object of this invention to provide a quick and easily operated clip for gripping the end of a shoelace to permit an excess portion of the free end of a shoelace to be severed, and to restrain the shoelace from fraying.
It is another object of this invention to provide a new and improved system for securing the free end of shoelaces in a manner that the end of the shoelace may be secured at several different places or locations on the side of the shoe, and which retaining means are secured to the shoe either during construction of the shoe or at a later date.
It is another object of this invention to provide a new and improved system utilizing a new and improved shoelace retaining devices, to provide selective and individual tightening of shoelaces, at separate locations along the length of the opening of the shoe, which adjustable tightening may be selectively applied in different amounts, and separately controlled.
Other objects and many advantages of this invention will become more apparent upon a reading of the following detailed description and an examination of the drawings wherein like reference numerous designate like parts and in which: